Kızören Sinkhole

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Kızören Sinkhole, a.k.a. Kızören Obruk or Lake Kızören (Kızören Obruğu) is a sinkhole containing a karst lake near Konya in the historic Konya vilayet, central Turkey. Kızören Obruğu is situated in the centre of the Central Anatolian steppes, 65 km northeast of the city of Konya. In Turkish, the word obruk means a vertical depression or shaft in a karst landscape which has been formed via karstification in two directions: downwards (from the surface into the ground by infiltration through minor cracks and joints) and upwards (from karstic underground cavities towards the surface by evaporation through minor cracks and joints). The term obruk is used to describe the rare karstic lakes which are found exclusively in the district of Konya in Turkey. Kızören Obruğu is 180 m long, 150 m wide and up to 145 m deep. For a long time, it was believed that the lake waters were still, but it is now known that the water flows slowly from one lake to the other from underneath. Located at an altitude of 1030 m, Kızören Obruğu is the only source of fresh water for human use in the vicinity. The State Water Institute (DSI) has installed a pump in the obruk to provide fresh water for the local community.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.